Boss says it is an exciting start for the Cod Army
Fleetwood Town manager Graham Alexander is relishing three derbies away from home in the opening two months of the League One campaign.The Cod Army will head to Oldham, Bury and Wigan all before the end of September as the Club get set to embark on their second season in the third tier of English football.
However, first up is a home tie against the division’s new boys Southend United, who won the League Two Play-Off final last season.
“It is good to be at home for the first game of the season,” admitted the manager in an exclusive interview with the Club website.
“It is good for the supporters especially but it will be a very difficult game against Southend United.
“Southend are similar to ourselves because they won promotion through the League Two Play-Off final and we know how good of a feeling that is.
“We have had tough games against Southend in the past and we don’t expect the first game of the season to be any different.
"Three of our first four away games are local with trips to Oldham, Bury and Wigan. They will all be good atmospheres because of the local rivalry.
"We are looking forward to pitting our wits against these local teams. Wigan won the FA Cup and were in the Premier League not so long ago and that will be a good one for our supporters to go to.”
Also on the cards for Fleetwood this coming season is a couple of long distance night matches with trips to Gillingham and Millwall both scheduled for a Tuesday evening.
Also pencilled in for a Tuesday evening is a trip to Sheffield United on the 20th October, a venue Town arguably picked up their most famous league victory last March.
The boss continued: “We have had a look through our Tuesday night fixtures. The ones that stand out are obviously Milwall and Gillingham both away from home. We also have a Boxing Day trip to Shrewsbury Town.
“We know the Football League can’t fit around everyone. We have dealt with long trips before in awkward moments over the last three years so we will just get along with those when they come around.”
The manager concluded by chatting about the Fylde Coast derby against Blackpool, with the first game scheduled at Bloomfield Road on Saturday 28th November.
The return match at Highbury Stadium will be played on Saturday 23rd April and the boss expects the excitement to stay around throughout the duration of the season.
“The first game is on November 28th at Bloomfield Road but there are a lot of games before that to focus on and take points from.
“It will keep the excitement going through the season with the home game being so late on and it will build up nicely as we go along.
“There are a lot of fixtures to deal with first and foremost before that. We have two big local games over the Christmas and New Year period with Wigan and Bury both visiting Highbury Stadium.
“There are some really exciting games to look forward to, both home and away. Now the fixtures are out we can start half planning the season.”
To see the full list of fixtures for the 2015/16 season, please click here.
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